Samsung buys U.S. air conditioner firm Quietside in 'smart home' push

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it had acquired U.S. air conditioner distributor Quietside LLC as part of its push to strengthen its "smart home" business.

It is the South Korean firm's second such acquisition within a week after it said on Friday it had purchased SmartThings, a U.S.-based platform developer which builds apps that allow users to monitor, control and automate devices at home.

So-called "smart homes" enable users to control multiple household appliances from a mobile device and are an area of increasing focus for technology companies like Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest maker of smartphones.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman said the South Korean company acquired 100 percent of Quietside, but declined to elaborate on the price or other details.

"Because air conditioning products are a necessity in all buildings, including homes and offices, this acquisition is expected to be of help to our future smart home business," Samsung Electronics said in a statement.

Samsung Electronics aims to become the world's top home appliances maker by 2015, ahead of Whirlpool Corp. Quietside, which has around 500 stores in the United States, sells air conditioners for homes and offices.